Happy Birthday, Daddy!

For those of you that have known me a while, you might know this guy as Mr. Kevin, Kev, or Mr. Doel (but he’d yell at you for that!).  For those of you I’ve met more recently, this is my dear, ole Dad- Kevin Doel.  His birthday is this weekend, so why not kick it off on Friday with a birthday shout-out.

In reflecting on my Daddy-o’s birthday, I’m amused at the place my thoughts go straight to.  My first instinct is to tell you all about my childhood memories with this guy.  While he’s certainly had a profound impact on my life as an adult, I really think the foundation is laid so early in life. 

Me and Dad on a chrorus trip circa 1997

Before I get into the details, I'll share a few highlights about this guy as he rounds the corner to age 56:

• He's an Ironman Triathlete. Just saying.
• He's a hard core cyclist- the guy finishes century rides before most of us have had our coffee.
• He's a proud father of three.
• He's a computer scientist... which makes him responsible for all technology questions by default.
• He's a former Toronto Blue Jay, by way of the AAA team in Dunedin, FL.
• He's an incredible chef, albeit an amateur with no formal training, this guy can crank out some incredible recipes.
• He can eat things spicier than I can even be in the room for. Example: he eats scotch bonnets like we eat grapes. H-O-T.

Mr. Kevin and the Doel Kids

More importantly, he's the guy that taught us that it was ok to be ourselves, it was ok to wear mix-matched outfits to school if we liked it, exercise was important and necessary, you didn't have to clean your plate but you sure had better get some veggies in that body, it's OK to debate and express differing opinions as long as you do it with respect, and so many more great gems of life. And- did I mention he's a creative nickname giver- Squeezer Dang, here.

Dad and Me in Eger, Hungary last summer

So with all of that said, here's to you Dad!  Happy Birthday!!!

1999

Love,

Squeezer